Operating an airline or other large commercial or non-commercial enterprise typically requires the coordinated efforts of many different functional groups. Generally, each of the different groups is responsible for managing a different part of the enterprise. A typical airline, for example, can include different functional groups for managing flight operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, and other aspects of the business necessary for day-to-day operations. The efficiency with which these different functional groups cooperate to run the airline can have a direct effect on the profitability and, ultimately, the success of the airline in a competitive marketplace.
Conventional methods for modeling the complex operations of airlines and other large enterprises typically include process flow charts and other types of schematic diagrams that attempt to illustrate the inter-workings of the different functional groups. Although these methods may illustrate some functional relationships at a relatively high level, they are of limited value in analyzing process interactions because they typically lack detailed information about the various attributes (e.g., cost, time, etc.) associated with each process. Further, these methods also tend to lack a detailed description of the routing and sequencing of information flows between the different functional groups. As a result, such methods offer little assistance in identifying problem areas and assessing the impact of changes to a particular process.
There are various types of products and services available to airlines and other large enterprises to make their operations more efficient. In the airline context, for example, such products include various software applications for monitoring, scheduling, and carrying out aircraft maintenance; for updating maintenance manuals with service bulletins; and for electronically documenting aircraft log book entries and other related information.
One problem facing companies that produce and market such products and services is how to justify the investment in the product or service to the airline operator. That is, how best to make the business case to the potential customer. A typical marketing approach is to “demo” the product or service using a fictitious business model. The downside of this approach, however, is that the fictitious model may or may not be a realistic simulation of the actual airline. As a result, the airline operator may have a hard time visualizing and understanding the benefits of the product or service, and may remain unconvinced of the value to their airline.